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The Shoe Horn Sonata Analysis

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Explanation of Scenes

The Shoe Horn Sonata is an iconic play written by the famous author John Misto. This play is about the loss of harmony between two people and how the harmony is restored. The shoehorn is used as a motif throughout the entire play, as it is an everyday object that takes on symbolism and recurs all through the story. A sonata is a musical piece composed from two instruments or voices, it represents Bridie and Sheila’s bond of friendship, love, support and care. The play consists of two main parts, which is Act one and Act two. Act one consists of eight scenes whereas Act two consists of six scenes. The play alternates between the past and the present and is a performance within a performance. There are several locations …show more content…

The general setting used throughout the storyboard was the TV studio in Melbourne, Belalau prisoner of war camp, Sumatra prisoner of war camp, the Melbourne hotel room, Singapore, Radji Beach in Banka Island and the South China Sea. These locations were used thoroughly in the storyboard to get across the images, as this is where most of the action had taken place over the course of the war. The setting promotes the audience to watch the play as it contrasts between the several places the Army nurses were, this gives the audience the chance to see the differences between the places where the nurses had many …show more content…

The scenes consist of the many techniques mentioned above, there are two main characters are shown and the play is set in contrasting between the past and the present. There are two real locations that are the TV studio and Melbourne hotel, however the interplay of the techniques in the scenes works together to create a wartime setting. The audience awareness is developed through the historical information from each scene. Theatrical devices a re combined to create various features and have a great dramatic impact. The structure promotes the audience to watch the play because the structure of this storyboard is contrasted between the past and present that will attract audience attention, as it is an historical play set between different times. It includes a gap of fifty years.

The Shoe Horn Sonata is a play dedicated for the women in war as this play sketches out the many hidden secrets and sacrifices that are unknown to this current world. This play makes the individual aware of what the Army nurses went through during the course of war. It uses several techniques; a solid structure and features to enhance the historically accurate play made between the past and the present. It is a journey of friendship, hardship, struggles and the sacrifices made by these heroic Army

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Composers have the ability to influence how we the audience views and responds to characters and issues. Through viewing and analysing ‘The Shoe Horn Sonata’ by John Misto and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ directed by Steven Spielberg, it is obvious that composers have the ability to impact and influence our views on characters and issues that occur. Shoe Horn Sonata and Saving Private Ryan were set in the same context of World War 2. John Misto’s Shoe Horn Sonata takes place during the war against Japan, the play focus on the lives of two women Bridie and Sheila who have been captured by the Japanese to become (POW) prisoners of war. John Misto’s play was based on real accounts from POWs, the play was to commemorate the female POWS who story was unheard of and to give an insight to the audience into what the POWs had to endure while under the japanese rule.

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We can note that the setting and themes of the former play are different from those of the later play (Eby 36). Nonetheless, both scenarios of the plays have captured the trends of human life, exemplifying some rather contemporary issues that affect humanity in the world today. Hemingway's Soldier's Home has characters observed to act by what is taking place, and the daily living styles of the people. In the 1977 Movie Soldier's Home we such similarities in the manner in which the play has been exemplified, illustrating the straight features that come into play when the play is beginning, at the middle, and even towards its ending (Hischak

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This shines through in the eminently clear attitudes of characters and the relationships between the characters on stage, as previously mentioned before through blocking. For example, when Joshua and Lily, interacted on stage; the contrasting experiences of the time between whites and people of color was immensely evident. The quixotic ignorance of Lily playing against the affable precaution of Joshua, illustrated the privilege of the time given to whites despite the intimate history between both characters. Likewise, the comprehensive research is evident through attention to small details within the production. For example, when the recreation of the green book appears on stage, though it is not called for in the script, it brings a historical weight to the moment that may have not been present otherwise.

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Act 2 scene 2: This scene jumped back to act 1 scene 7 then to act 2 scene 1. After act 2 scene 1, they went back to act 2 scene 2. Then they took a little piece of act 2 scene 3 and went back to act 2 scene 2.

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The cast of the play are unaware of the audience, however, the audience is able to listen to dialogue that occurs throughout the theater, whether it is in the headsets between technicians, on stage between the actors playing their characters in the play and between the director and actors who make adjustments when necessary. The third fourth wall was at its edge of breaking, where the audience is almost unable to tell whether what they are experiencing is real or not. As an observer of the rehearsal of this play, this wall was broken when I understood that what I was watching was a rehersal of a play, of a rehearsal of a play. It was difficult to describe or understand when the cast of 10 out of 12 were actually in or out of character. The complexity of this play lies in the use of metatheatre, which has been exploited to its fullest extent

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Act 4 Scene 1, on the other hand, is both a key developmental component and an incredibly sophisticated scene that could have been created by an author as skilled and adept as William Shakespeare.

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A unique visual message is the use of varied techniques to convey individual experiences such as those of women in the play ‘The Shoe Horn’, who were captured by Japanese during the World War II. In the play, the experiences of survival and power are conveyed through sound, symbols, projecting image, lighting, body language, and dialogue. Some of these distinctive experiences are outlined below. Distinctive experiences of loss of power and control:

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While both stage and screen portrayals were highly acclaimed there are some similarities as well as some marked differences in each interpretation. On the surface, the first difference noted between the stage and screen versions are the sets. The stage version describes the setting of the play, the Younger family living room, as a

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Space is used in theatre in order to clearly imply to the audience where the action is taking place. The minimal props on stage allow the audience to interpret the performance in their own way and gives the play a sense of originality. An example of space is identified when actors are switching between scenes in Gallipoli and scenes in Australia. To represent times at war a long black box positioned down stage is utilised by actors to jump over and sit in front of to resemble a trench; giving the notion that the scene is set in war. On the other hand, the actors perform up stage behind this box when presenting scenes in Australia to create a clear distinction between the two settings.

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The setting included the set design, lighting, music, and props. The set design was very realistic and fit the time period well. The props for the production fit the time period appropriately, but were very exaggerated and ornate, such as Bottom’s large sword. Furthermore, the music was bold and

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The geographic location was made clear form the beginning by the scenery that was present on stage. The wood planking, chests, crates, and mast-like column combined with the water reflection lighting effect presented a location of a port or dock. While onboard the ships, a miniature model of the corresponding ship was constantly being held up by an actor and made to look as if it was sailing, to reinforce that the ship was where the scene was taking place. The flashing lights and rumbling sheets of metal made it obvious that the current circumstances were taking place during a storm whereas the later sunbeam spotlight made it clear that it was morning and sunny. The opening monologue of the play laid out the setting verbally, confirming suspicions

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The central theme of the play was reinforced by the production elements used throughout the entire show. The projection displayed on the back drop of the set, let the audience see the journal entries and the letters that Melchior wrote. Allowing the audience to feel as though they are

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First of all, the piece is quite interesting as a prelude – an introductory piece of music as it start off with dynamic and vibrant sounds that include the whole ensemble. This piece is structured as a three-part or ternary form which consists of ABA’ form. The idea of this piece is mainly act as an introductory of a story because this piece is only an excerpt from a bigger orchestral performance. From what I have heard, the solo performance is mainly comprise of the woodwind instruments in part B that indicated the slight sign of relief and calmness. The piece has a lot of variation where the composer include different timbres and dynamics such as the high dynamic structure during the first and the last part with the associating crashes of cymbals.

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